Whisper
by farfetched4
Summary: Tooth, having realised that Baby Tooth misses a shift every month, decides to ask her about it - she had not expected Jack Frost to be the cause. Light Tooth/Jack, Rainbow Snowcone.


She guesses she should have expected something like it to happen. The tooth palace was, after all, not small, spanning all the space required for the teeth of every child in the past several centuries on every continent. It was a huge amount, and so plenty of space was needed, and of course, Toothiana herself couldn't personally check on all of it all the time. Her ties with the palace meant she had a vague sense of everything, but it was weak, and as long as whoever entered the palace didn't touch any of the teeth, she would only, if she concentrated, feel a vague shadow of knowing someone was there. Plus, recently, she had been delegating more to her mini-fairies, particularly on this very day once a month where she was trying out not telling any of them to do anything, so she had her mind focused on that. The teeth still got collected, so she couldn't complain.

This did mean that she spent the entire day biting back orders and requests, pushing away a tide of addresses in her head where teeth were, and letting the mini-fairies get on with it. They were good at it, so she didn't quite know why she hadn't done so before.

On that day, it just so happened that two things had happened simultaneously. She'd noticed Baby Tooth's absence every time this day came around and decided to confront her on it, and she'd noticed that vague whisper of a presence.

Arriving at the sleeping quarters for the Asia division, (who were supposed to be on their shifts at the moment, night being over Asia), where Baby Tooth had her small section like every other fairy who worked for her had, Tooth landed quietly, and poked her head around the corner.

Only to see Jack Frost conversing with Baby Tooth, both smiling widely. He handed something to her, and after she appeared to have hugged him the best she could, she tucked his gift away in her quarters, fluttering back to sit on his shoulder, giggling as she did so.

It was quite strange. Before the entire incident with Pitch (She still despised the very thought of those teeth, so disgustingly unkempt and diseased!) the fairy had been quite serious about everything, never missing work and only extremely rarely turning up late, and only ever for a good reason. The fact that she was not only smiling gleefully but willingly skipping on her shift, was somewhat disconcerting to Tooth.

And, deep down, she was disappointed. Had Jack even been planning to see her at all? Was Baby Tooth more important to him than she was? She cared greatly for all of her mini-fairies, but that thought was a little upsetting. She... Well, it was her own fault, of course, being quite so girlish and falling for him slightly. Just because she hadn't seen someone who looked remotely her age in centuries, and just because the first person who did happened to be a boy, and quite attractive too, did _not _mean she could just fall for him like that! She'd only known him now for less than a year! It was ridiculous.

She shifted away from the scene, stepping delicately around the corner and leaning upon the glittering walls of the Tooth Palace, her usual energy fluttered off somewhere.

It wasn't _fair_. Why did Jack have to be quite so... quite so handsome? Among everything else, like the fact he was nice, fun, had perfect teeth, and not to mention was amazingly good at getting on with children.

She wasn't one to begrudge people anything that made them happy. But, the fact that Jack was visiting Baby Tooth and not her, made her just the tiniest bit jealous.

Toothiana huffed quietly at her own self-pity. She would visit Baby Tooth later and get her story as to why Jack was even there then. She could be doing something useful, like collecting teeth, rather than moping after a boy who barely detected her existence - and she could do better than this! Jack knew she existed. If he preferred Baby Tooth, that was no matter of hers! She just needed to stop thinking about it, really. There were far better things to do, and so she let the cascade of addresses filter through her mind, subconsciously deciding to collect teeth from South America, about as far from Asia and the Tooth Palace and _Jack _as she could get. Fluttering her wings, she had just become air-borne when a cold wind twirled around her briefly, nothing more than a warning for cold breath in her ear as she heard whispered, 'Off so soon?'

Squeaking, she instinctively flew backwards to survey the situation, which turned out to be Jack smiling too innocently to actually _be _innocent, and Baby Tooth looking somewhere between confused, ashamed, and amused. Unaware of what to do with her hands, Tooth entwined them in front of her chest, and smiled weakly.

"Jack! Baby Tooth! What are you doing here?" she exclaimed, wishing her heart would calm down some. Her heart usually beat fast, seeing as she was part-hummingbird, but this was unnatural. Baby Tooth watched her closely.

_Ma, you were watching us! I heard you thinking! _Baby Tooth conveyed telepathically, as Toothiana winced. She must have been thinking loudly again, it was a bad habit of hers among the fairies. Luckily they couldn't hear anyone else's thoughts apart from hers, else the Sandman's visits would be much less appreciated.

"Baby Tooth told me to look over here, so... How come you were there, don't you need to be directing your fairies?" Jack questioned, unaware of her and Baby Tooth's interaction. She grinned sheepishly.

"I'm having a delegation day, but I needed to talk to... Oh," At seeing Jack's confusion, she explained, "Once a month I let the fairies go without any directions. I was going to go out in the field, but I had to talk with Baby Tooth, but I... guess I'll do it later." Toothiana smiled, if only so she didn't frown, and waved slightly, ready to set off to wherever was far away from here. Jack, however, eternally perceptive, picked up on it.

"Um, if it's about Baby Tooth missing work, I see her every month about this day." The mini-fairy seemed to realise her mistake, flittering rapidly from Jack's shoulder to chirp in her face frantically.

_Sorry Ma! You were busy, and I thought you knew, and he brings me little things to say thanks!_ Baby Tooth thought hurriedly, before pointing around the corner indicating Tooth to follow. She hovered over, glancing at Jack as she murmured 'Thanks for what exactly?'. If she didn't know him at all, she would have said he was embarrassed – surely it was impossible. He trailed after her, twirling his staff slightly as they passed dozens of small rooms, small thin curtains covering the miniscule indentations in the walls that served as homes for her fairies, most sparsely decorated, a few containing a pretty leaf or two that the fairies had picked up on their travels.

Baby Tooth's room, however, was a completely different affair. The tiny bed had been pushed forward, and behind it was a small mountain of frosted objects, ranging from a gemstone to a key; small, generally worthless ice-encased objects, and it took no stretch of her imagination to realise the culprit. Said winter spirit actually looked sheepish when she glanced back at him in some kind of shock, before returning to gaze at the packed room. There was also a littering of snowflakes adorning the walls, and what might have been a miniature ice-sculpture in one corner. Baby Tooth chirped happily, eager to show her some of the objects, returning from a minute's rummaging through the somewhat extensive hoard to bring what appeared to be a Christmas decoration, an angel covered in fern-like frost. The mini-fairy continued merrily showing her Jack's presents for several long moments before realising Tooth hadn't actually _reacted_ to any of it. If anything, she looked dazed, and perhaps mildly upset.

_Ma?_ She thought, quietly. It was enough to bring Toothiana out of her trance though, as her brow furrowed slightly, and she absently patted Baby Tooth while turning to Jack.

"What are you thanking her for?" As far as she knew, Jack hadn't done this for anyone else (although she'd heard he visited Jamie quite often), and it seemed quite abnormal for him. Plus, if he'd been telling the truth, he'd been visiting even through the summer months, which couldn't have been a natural trip.

"Well, she, wait, did she tell you that?" Jack asked, obviously confused as he hadn't said anything about why. Tooth nodded, shaking her head to rid herself of her odd dazed feeling. She smiled at Baby Tooth to indicate she was alright and the mini-fairy wasn't in too much trouble. "Baby Tooth did kind of save us, so I thought… you know, she deserved something."

"Save us?" She tried to think of an occasion Jack could mean. But as far as she knew, there was no such time: while her own spirits had been much lifted by the sight of the small fairy, meaning Pitch hadn't managed to get every single one, that had certainly not saved them. It had been a team effort by Jack and the children he'd managed to persuade back into believing, along with the four of them aiding the fight once some strength had returned. "When?"

"Pitch… Pitch attacked me, after I… left you guys, on Easter, and, well, anyway, Baby Tooth made me believe in myself again. I wouldn't have looked at my memories if not for her, and I wouldn't have come back if not for them. So she saved me, in turn saving you." Jack explained haltingly, and Tooth frowned. He'd never told any of them what had happened between him flying off after Bunny shouted at him, and them finding him in Burgess with Jamie. It had been that bad? She never knew, all this time… Guilt clouded her mind as she looked down, unsure what to say. Hadn't Jack realised they'd turned him away in shock? Bunny had outwardly seemed very angry, but she was sure that each of them didn't truly believe Jack had betrayed them.

She opened her mouth to say so, then was struck by the thought that, if she had been in Jack's position, she would most likely have thought the same. And Baby Tooth had managed to save him? Looking over at the mini-fairy, who'd settled in her palms and watched her intently, she quietly thought-asked the fairy for more details. With one look over at the uncharacteristically quiet Jack, she obliged.

_Pitch used me to get his staff, then broke it… it hurt him a lot. We fell down a crevasse and then… I made him look at his memories! I remembered you saying it once, Ma, that we deliver memories when they'd needed most, and he'd given up, so even though you weren't there, I told him to look at them… I don't know what he saw, but he believed again! He fixed the staff and flew over and saved us! _The fairy smiled widely at her, chirping to make her point clear. _But I think he feels guilty that he fell so low, so he brings things to me, and I can't do anything Ma! I can't tell him it's okay, he can't hear me! _Baby Tooth ruffled her feathers and looked at her defiantly, before pointing at Jack. _Tell him! Tell him for me!_

"Okay, yes, I will! Ssssh. What do you want me to tell him?" She inquired quietly, before turning to Jack who, having heard her, had raised an eyebrow towards the two of them.

"Tell me what? Have you been whispering?"

Smiling, Tooth pushed away all her thoughts to concentrate better.

"Something like that. Baby Tooth wanted to tell you…" She waited for the mini-fairy to speak some before she started relaying the words. "'Thank you for everything, and coming here and seeing me every month, I really like it! The other fairies are so jealous, especially-' Hey!" She broke her thought-connection to glare at the mini-fairy, who only cowered slightly before continuing. "'Well, if you're feeling bad about it, you don't have to, because all the Guardians love you and all us fairies, and we all have bad days, we forgive you for it.'" Tooth shook her head slightly, glad the fairy hadn't tried anything else on. It had been a long time since she'd completed a mind-connection, and in relaying the words exactly, she tended to enter some kind of trance and not alter what the mini-fairies said, which could, in this instance particularly, have caused some embarrassment. It was part of the close connection she had, which had many advantages, but wasn't without its drawbacks.

Jack smiled wryly, tilting his head to the side slightly.

"That's really odd, your voice changed and everything. But, er, thanks, Baby Tooth. I appreciate that." He sent a blinding grin at the mini-fairy, who Tooth felt quiver in her hands. Thankfully, it wasn't directed at her, she wasn't quite sure she could have blamed it on the sphere of chilling atmosphere he took everywhere with him. Another saving grace was the lack of other fairies; she sensed they would have dropped like flies at the sight. "I dunno about feeling bad, though, that's… I just kind of…"

"I'm sorry, Jack. On behalf of the others, too. We weren't there when you needed us, we were in such a shock from what Bunny went through we didn't even think… That was horrible of us." Levering the mini-fairy onto one hand, she reached out with the other to pat his hand. "Genuinely, I am sorry." The expression he wore was almost… _vulnerable_. She'd seen something close to it when he'd turned to them after Bunny had yelled at him, and every time someone had mentioned his invisibility. It seemed to be when he didn't want to reveal his true thoughts and feelings, and yet was unable to keep up his pretence of always having fun. It made him look so small, so delicate that she just wanted to embrace him, made her want to undo every bad thing that had ever happened to him, made her want to go back in time and offer her friendship as she had now, almost three centuries too late really.

However, it passed, as he smiled weakly, breaking his gaze to look at the floor, shifting his staff to lean on it lightly. Tooth was left with a flood of emotions she was having trouble keeping hold of. Yet she knew he'd become wary if she did anything, so she clasped her hands together, Baby Tooth having started flying towards the winter spirit.

"Yeah, well, what's done is done, right?" He absently petted the mini-fairy who nuzzled into his neck, tiny arms spread as wide as she could get them to make her hug felt. "Pitch is gone, and that's the main thing. Some kids can even see me! They're spreading, there was this girl in England the other day, and…" He laughed, not quite happy but more in amazement, flicking his eyes over to her briefly. "It's weird having conversations. Like, I spoke, but basically no one answered for three hundred years. I like it though." He grinned, enough to melt her heart, so she merely smiled back, unable to do anything else. Baby Tooth, pleased that he seemed happy enough, chirped at him and waved, before fluttering over to her, and informing her she was going to collect teeth. Toothiana nodded, then realised that now, they were completely alone. Eyes widening slightly, she couldn't help but blush, looking away from him to the rest of the palace, almost hidden from where they were. The low hum told her of all her fairies doing work, which prompted her to think of needing to do the same.

However, failing to look at the winter spirit, she did not see his mouth twitch up into a mischievous smirk, nor did she see the wind pick him up, hovering closer to her.

"So, Tooth… Baby Tooth never did say who was the most jealous fairy of them all, did she?" He appeared in her line of sight just as she turned a deep scarlet, contrasting with her feathers, and she all but squawked, holding up her hands before her and saying the first defensive thing she could think of.

"I'm not jealous!" The moment she said it, she could have died with embarrassment, realising that she'd just walked right into it. How could one spirit, albeit one like Jack, turn her into this wreck? She was usually so unfazed by everything, but he managed tip her mental balance to this. Ridiculous, she scolded herself as she always did. The quicker she could get back to work the quicker she could return to her normal, level-headed self and forget about handsome winter spirits who had decided to crash her palace.

"You're not? Sounds a lot like it to me…" He was clearly enjoying this. She tried her best to come up with something as a come-back, and then smiled slightly.

"Well, who's been visiting for the past year and never dropping in? Maybe _you're_ nervous about seeing me." No way was Jack Frost nervous about seeing her, she'd thought. Yet it couldn't have been more perfect, and actually had far more effect than she'd thought it would, having pulled it up out of almost nowhere.

But maybe there was more truth there than he'd like to admit: his pure blue eyes widened dramatically, and he flew backwards several metres in shock. She might even have seen his cheeks colour slightly, and she counted a success for teasing the Guardian of Fun, who'd had so much more experience than her.

Grinning, she was overcome with a giddy happiness, darting forwards in the air to boldly peck him on the cheek, before flying upwards, slowing only slightly to wave as she heard his reply.

"I'll show you who's nervous! Next delegation day, I'll be here! Be ready!"

Passing a group of mini-fairies who watched her as though she'd been possessed, Tooth couldn't help but giggle with mirth. Oh, she was looking forwards to it.

* * *

_She never did notice him change the subject. Ah well, Tooth, you were trying to have a serious conversation with the Guardian of Fun. I know Tooth is a bit childish at the end, but she looks, according to the wikia, around 15/17 – since she deals with children and their memories, I think she's entitled to be a bit immature, just like Jack. _

_According to the art book, Tooth can communicate with her mini-fairies via telepathy, and they are said to be smaller versions of herself, but I can see that they have gained personalities slightly separate to hers. Don't know about the mind-connection thing, but I guess if they were mini-versions of herself, they could mind-merge if she let them? Basically Baby Tooth is a bit of a cheeky fairy and tries to make Tooth confess. Honestly. _

_Amusingly, in the movie, I genuinely can't see Jack actually with anyone, not even Tooth. This fandom's corrupted me! All these pairings I now like. Honestly, as if I needed more. _


End file.
